Trump Replaces Social Security Administration Head Amid DOGE Scrutiny

The U.S. Department of the Treasury building in Washington on Nov. 18, 2024. Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo

President Donald Trump has replaced the head of the Social Security Administration (SSA), the White House said on Feb. 18.

“The agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields told The Epoch Times in an email. “President Trump is committed to appointing the best and most qualified individuals who are dedicated to working on behalf of the American people, not to appease the bureaucracy that has failed them for far too long.”

The acting commissioner has not been identified.

A webpage for the commissioner on the SSA website was recently removed. It previously held a biography for Michelle King, who was named acting commissioner in January.

The SSA did not respond to a request for comment.

The White House declined to say whether King resigned or was fired.

Trump nominated Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano as SSA commissioner in December 2024. Fields said the White House expects Bisignano to be confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate in the coming weeks.

“I am honored to have this once in a lifetime opportunity to serve my country,” Bisignano said previously. “I thank President-elect Trump and, if confirmed, look forward to applying my experience to transform our social security system.”

Elon Musk said on Feb. 17 on social media platform X that the Department of Government Efficiency had found millions of people older than 120 listed in the agency’s database as eligible for Social Security.

The oldest living person in the world is 116, according to Guinness World Records.

The SSA’s inspector general said in 2023 that it found that 18.9 million people aged 100 or older were still listed in the database despite the U.S. Census estimating that just 86,000 individuals in that age range live in the United States.

“Taking action to include death information for the millions of numberholders omitted from the [database] would enhance Government-wide improper payment prevention and detection,” the watchdog said at the time.

The inspector general made recommendations to improve the system, but the agency disagreed with the recommendations.

People eligible for Social Security include children, spouses, and retired workers. More than 70 million people received benefits from SSA programs in 2022, according to the agency.